honour-among-punks

Honour Among Punks: Sherlock Holmes like you’ve never seen her before.

Did you know there’s a comicbook where Holmes and Watson are both women and it’s set in an alternate-history 1980s where Victorian society continued on throughout the 20th century because World War II never happened? And Holmes (Sharon) is a punk who solves punk crimes that are ignored by the police? And she has an angry punk girlfriend named Sam, who lives with her and nerdy American med-student Watson at 112 Baker Street?

It’s almost more from Watson’s point of view than Holmes canon, because Watson-as-narrator is enthusiastic but still mostly a naiive outsider to Sharon and her girlfriend’s standoffish circle of punk acquaintances. Sharon is more of a mystery than canon Holmes, possibly because her closest emotional connection is to Sam rather than to Watson, who fills the role of well-meaning sidekick as Sam becomes more and more embittered about Sharon’s obsession with her work. The mysteries resemble classic Holmes without being direct adaptations (they investigate a forgery ring that’s somehow connected with the London punk scene; Sharon tracks a latter-day Jack The Ripper who preys only on men), and the characters frequent an underground nightclub called Baskerville’s.

If you haven’t read it already, here’s what you get with it: a Sherlock Holmes adaptation from the late 80’s-early 90’s that features older queer female protagonists set in an alternate universe of victorian ideals dragged into a 20th century gutter-punk scene full of murder and politics. The two-book anthology contains Honour Among Punks and Children of the Night. Gifted to me by a university girlfriend, it is by far my favourite Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Too bad I leant it out and never got it back :/

I need to order a new supply of spikes and 77s before this is finished (the back and the sleeves don’t really match the lapel as of now, so it looks too imbalanced to wear yet. But like ever since I read Honour Among Punks I’ve know this was the paint job to which I wanted to commit. I mean, of course I sat on it for a while to make sure, since as far as references go it would be quite obscure, unfortunately, but ultimately I decided that I liked the concept enough to go for it. (Also it’s not like I didn’t already dedicate half of my ass to Texts on my patchy jeans long, long ago. That ship of references that few will understand has already sailed. 6_9) I really wanted to give my jacket paint though, so this feels like the right decision. Like I said, not quite done yet, but too happy with this paint job to not share. c:

So I’d heard a lot about this book and decided to get it cause, female!Sherlock who also happens to be a punk lesbian in a neo-Victorian setting? Yes, you have my interest. And it was so worth it, I’m not even that far in and its already got me hooked. It was also a super nice surprise to get when I saw that it was signed, cause the seller hadn’t mentioned it. Win all around!